Park Bo-gum recommends Busan, Ttareungi and K-pop as new tourism ambassador

Actor Park Bo-gum, the new honorary ambassador for Korean tourism, recommends foreign visitors to explore the country by bike and enjoy its scenic coasts — all while listening to K-pop.

Actor Park Bo-gum poses for a photo at a ceremony in which he was appointed honorary ambassador of Korean tourism in southern Seoul on July 29. [YONHAP]

Actor Park Bo-gum, the new honorary ambassador for Korean tourism, recommends foreign visitors to explore the country by bike and enjoy its scenic coasts — all while listening to K-pop.

"I personally like historical venues like Gwanghwamun and Gyeongbok Palace, but I know that many foreign tourists have already visited," said Park on Tuesday at the appointment ceremony in southern Seoul.

"So I would like to recommend Busan, where my upcoming project 'Good Boy' was filmed."

For a Seoul itinerary, Park recommended cycling along the Han River using Seoul's public bike-sharing service, Ttareungi.

"The Han River has good paths for riding [bicycles] as well as amazing parks. I want not only foreign tourists but also Koreans who are not aware of them to experience it. I myself am an avid user of Ttareungi. It offers a variety of payment options for one-hour, two-hour and one-day rentals, in addition to a monthly pass."

"I want tourists to enjoy these benefits and also be active and healthy on their trips."

A still from Korea tourism promotional video featuring Park Bo-gum [KOREA TOURISM ORGANIZATION]

Park, lead actor of global hits like "When Life Gives You Tangerines," has been designated as the honorary ambassador of Korean tourism for a year, starting Tuesday. He follows in the footsteps of globally influential celebrities like actor Lee Jung-jae of "Squid Game" (2021-) and K-pop idol group NewJeans.

He will participate in various global campaigns promoting Korean tourism with the theme, "Never Ending Korea."

Two promotional videos starring Park were revealed at the Tuesday ceremony as well as on the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO)'s YouTube channel named "Imagine Your Korea."

One of the two videos is a short film in which Park takes viewers to various destinations such as Dongmyo in Seoul, Yeosu and Sinan in South Jeolla and Pyeongchang in Gangwon. The other is a music video of "On My Way," a campaign track sung by Park that highlights lesser-known spots such as Boryeong and Unyeo Beach.

Park also revealed a list of handpicked tracks he recommends for tourists to listen to while traveling throughout Korea.

While shopping in Seongsu, he suggested NCT127's "Road Trip" (2024) and IVE's "FLU." For yacht rides in Haeundae, Busan, he suggested listening to Taeyeon's "Weekend" (2021) or Taeyang's "VIBE" (2023).

Standing Egg's "My Heart is Leaning Towards You" (2022) and Stella Jang's "My Ceiling Disappeared" (2020) were recommended for a walk along the serene coastline of Yeosu.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the KTO hope to translate the global popularity of K-content into a boost in tourism. In collaboration with Netflix, the culture ministry and KTO have produced two promotional videos with motifs from global hits "Squid Game" and "All of Us Are Dead" (2022). The "Squid Game" version, which was released on July 3, garnered 11 million views, and the "All of Us Are Dead" version will be released on Aug. 7.

Meanwhile, Park is on a global fan meet-and-greet tour, with events scheduled in Seoul on Aug. 1 and 2, followed by stops in Singapore, Taiwan, the Philippines and other countries.

A still from Korea tourism promotional video featuring Park Bo-gum [KOREA TOURISM ORGANIZATION]

BY JIN EUN-SOO [jin.eunsoo@joongang.co.kr]